TracFone lost minutes in ATT to Verizon move

[OldSoftware]

We finally ordered the Verizon TracFone sim to move from ATT lines to Verizon. The rep was very nice and it seemed to go well. After we hung up, I looked and the new sim was phone 000-000-0000. Put the ATT sim in and all was well. Checked my data, etc and it was all there.

The next day the ATT sim was 000-000-0000. No problem, put the Verizon sim in and there was my phone number. Checked data, etc with 611611 and everything was 0 with a 6/30 expiration which was yesterday.

Today, 7/2, no service. I was unable to buy service on line. I could not reach an agent just the automated system. I tried several times and failed.

Bought at the store a 500/500/500 smart card. It would not activate yesterday. Waited one more day and it finally took it via 611611. Checked my data, etc and I had lost all my minutes, service data & data.

I've been with TracFone for years. I'm moving on. Verizon has destroyed a good MVNO.

[Senkoboy]

We finally ordered the Verizon TracFone sim to move from ATT lines to Verizon. The rep was very nice and it seemed to go well. After we hung up, I looked and the new sim was phone 000-000-0000. Put the ATT sim in and all was well. Checked my data, etc and it was all there.

The next day the ATT sim was 000-000-0000. No problem, put the Verizon sim in and there was my phone number. Checked data, etc with 611611 and everything was 0 with a 6/30 expiration which was yesterday.

Today, 7/2, no service. I was unable to buy service on line. I could not reach an agent just the automated system. I tried several times and failed.

Bought at the store a 500/500/500 smart card. It would not activate yesterday. Waited one more day and it finally took it via 611611. Checked my data, etc and I had lost all my minutes, service data & data.

I've been with TracFone for years. I'm moving on. Verizon has destroyed a good MVNO.

I would be calling the Corporate office today.

[charmedangelina]

Call them and demand your minutes back.

[OldSoftware]

What is the phone number? All I have is 800-867-7183 which is worthless in this case

[Yeswap]

What is the phone number? All I have is 800-867-7183 which is worthless in this case

Try 305-640-2000 X 1029
Or 305-715-6500 X 1029
Or 800-626-4883 X 3324

[NanaC]

Anyone that has Facebook, read the user comments on TracFone and Straight Talk's pages. A couple of people bought a year of service while running on TF/AT&T towers and lost it when service was cut off trying to do the Verizon sim transfer.

This transition has turned into a huge disaster.

[happygrrl1]

I had a similar experience when transferring from TF ATT to TF VZ. With persistence and lengthy calls to corporate I was able to get my minutes and texts restored and most of my data restored. All I can say is good luck and be persistent. I had hefty balances that I didn’t want to give up.

It Is almost as if Verizon is trying to ruin TF. I have found myself wondering if Verizon bought TF just to ruin it thereby eliminating competition.

[OldSoftware]

I just spoke to a very helpful lady at the Corporate number. She fixed all my problems including restoring all minutes and dates. Thank you for your help with the contact number and thanks to the folks who have to fix all these problems. It took almost 1 hour on the phone. You need to be very nice and they will do their level best to make you whole!!!

[OldSoftware]

My guess is the corporate chiefs did all the merger work then gave the staff a week to implement when they needed two months or so. Happens that way too often.

[charmedangelina]

Anyone that has Facebook, read the user comments on TracFone and Straight Talk's pages. A couple of people bought a year of service while running on TF/AT&T towers and lost it when service was cut off trying to do the Verizon sim transfer.

This transition has turned into a huge disaster.

Despite them mostly fixing my service unlimited plans don't work at all for some reason. I've been able to purchase add ons and smartphone only plans just fine though. TracFone deserves to get sued out the rear for what they've put people through.

[gmannix]

Oldsoftware said:It took almost 1 hour on the phone. You need to be very nice and they will do their level best to make you whole!!!
Would you mind saying which number you called? Hopefully the toll free one.

[mframe]

Well, I think I will relate my TF-ATT > TF-VZ saga. It eventually worked-out. At my house, I have good service from all 3 carriers.

My TF-ATT SIM had been in an AT&T-branded 5G phone. I never received any offers, texts, emails, or "threats" to switch. It was not a critical number, but had fairly high balances and a 2-year expiration that I did not want to lose. I did not want to be cut-off without warning, or offered the SIM with the free month which some have said did not restore their previous balances, afterwards. I thought the switch might go smoother if I did it before July 1, when TracFone was going to stop AT&T activations, and things might get more hectic or problematic for the CSRs.

On 6/29, I decided to be pro-active and transfer to an unused TF Samsung A51 and its already matched SIM. I used chat, and the CSR was pleasant and helpful, sending the verification code to my current phone, then asking for the IMEI and SIM number of the new phone, but said it wasn't going through and asked if the A51 was a TracFone device. I said it was, and was using its original SIM.

He said he would have to call a "higher department". When I said he would probably have to call the porting department, he confirmed that yes, that is what he was doing. After a while, he said he could not get through to them, so he would send a ticket request to them, and also gave me that ticket number.

He said he would schedule a call back in 15 minutes. I requested and received the reference number for the chat session, and we ended the chat.

I never received a call-back, and a couple hours later the line had not ported and the AT&T phone was still working. I had to leave for the rest of the day, so waited for the next day.

The next day (6/30), I called the porting department. The CSR asked for my phone number and did the verification code. I offered the ticket numbers, but he said he already had the info and would do the transfer. He then said the port could be anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours, and scheduled a call-back for 3 hours.

After a half-hour nothing happened yet, and I went to do an errand. When I returned an hour later, the phone number did transfer to the A51 SIM, but I could not call or text because the balances were missing. I tried to check my account, but the website and the app (over WiFi) were not working. Just before I was going to call Executive Resolutions, a half-hour later, text and calls started working.

I did receive this call-back, but it wasn't from Porting, it just put me in the queue for regular customer service, so I hung up, didn't need it anyway. The next day, the website was working and my expiration and balances were correct.

Bottom-line, for this thread, my balances did show up a bit late, but I didn't have to call for them.

[Tracfancier]

The transfer of service/phone number and the transfer of your airtime, from one provider to another, seldom happen at the same time.
Transfers during a holiday are not recommended.

[hpham]

The transfer of service/phone number and the transfer of your airtime, from one provider to another, seldom happen at the same time.

Yep. The balance info is kept in TF system and in the carrier's system. So that TF manages your balance but the carrier can instantly check their system to see if you have sufficient balance to connect the calls/texts. When you add to your balance, it's updated in TF system first, then the new balance gets "pushed" to the carrier's system. After you used minutes/texts/data, the carrier's system updates TF's system.

With a same-carrier transfer, the transfer is usually instantaneous because there's no balance update involved. With a cross-carrier transfer, TF has to push the balance to the new carrier's system and remove it from the current carrier's system. Usually it takes time for that to happen.

[OldSoftware]

Oldsoftware said:It took almost 1 hour on the phone. You need to be very nice and they will do their level best to make you whole!!!
Would you mind saying which number you called? Hopefully the toll free one.

305-640-2000 X 1029

It said Corp is closed on the weekend & after 5p but I entered the extension and someone picked it up on the first ring!